Homeboy
by LauraHilary
Summary: Based on the song Homeboy by Eric Church. Edward is leading a troubled life in the city of Chicago, the place he ran away to escape the small town he grew up in. Will he go back? Can the relationships in his life be mended? O/S expanded. Unbeta'd.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight obviously.**

**A/N: I wrote this O/S based on the song Homeboy by Eric Church. For now this is all I have written. If you're interested in reading more let me know and I'll consider turning it into a full story. Thanks for giving it a chance! Please keep in mind that it is currently unbeta'd. **

"Alright Cullen, you're free to go." The police officer inserted a key into the lock and turned it while pulling the bars open. I sighed in relief as I walked out of the cell and down a hall that led into the front lobby.

"Who bailed me out Sir?" I asked the officer.

"You'll have to ask Deloris at the front desk there. You need to sign a few things." He told me.

"I know, I know." I did know. I'd been visiting jail a lot since I'd moved to Chicago. My crimes were never serious, a stolen pack of cigarettes here and there. Several were from unpaid fines, bar fights, or public intoxication. Once I was arrested for trying to pick up a prostitute but that was NOT my intention. I was trying to get directions to a club. How was I supposed to know that it was an undercover cop? Like I said, I was trying to get directions but apparently she thought it was code for, "let's go fuck and I'll pay you."

I slapped my hands on the front desk and smiled charmingly at the gray haired lady sitting down behind it. She glared up at me with a "what do you want shithead" look.

"Name?" She asked in a monotone voice.

"Cullen."

"Full name, please." This time she gritted her teeth. Jesus, she must really hate her job.

"Edward Anthony Cullen."

Deloris thumbed through a few files on her desk before nodding and pulling up a folder that said 'Edward Cullen' on the tab. It was thick, like a small book. I snorted at the last thought. I was a _shithead_.

A page with a bunch of nonsense was slid in front of me and at the bottom there was a blank line for my impending signature. Without reading anything I quickly signed the sheet of paper and slid it back to the lady in front of me. She told me that I was free to go and to stay the hell out of trouble.

I rolled my eyes and nodded and started to leave. I then remembered that I wanted to know who had bailed me out. My legs carried me back to the front desk and I leaned down on my elbows.

"Uh, Deloris is it?" She was once again glaring at me, and her mouth was puckered as if she was sucking on something sour.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me who bailed my ass out?"

Deloris reopened my file and looked down quickly then her eyes met mine again.

"An Emmett Cullen."

My eyes widened at the name that fell from her lips. _Dammit. Shit. God dammit! _

"Thanks I mumbled before running out of the small jail.

I pulled my hood over my head and pulled out a pack of cigarettes on my trek home. I felt my body relax after my second drag from the cigarette. My mind felt the exact opposite though. My older brother had bailed me out of jail. How did he even know I was there? I hadn't heard from anyone in my family for over a year.

I left that dumbass town two years ago and had been so much happier since. There I felt stuck, suffocated, and unchanging. Everybody was judgmental and close-minded. If you did anything different than what they expected then all hell would break loose.

My parents were appalled when I was busted for smoking weed. They acted like it was the end of the world that I would even think of doing that. They acted as if my dreams to be bigger than that town were wrong.

So I left.

Without a second thought I moved to Chicago with a couple hundred bucks, a pack of cigarettes, and my IPod. It was a three hour bus ride that I spent thinking about the future and not the past. Only occasionally would a pretty brown-eyed girl cross my mind.

I smiled to myself as I thought of Bella. She would hate me now I supposed. We'd been on one date and it went well so we'd naturally planned a second one. I figured she would have heard about my leaving by the time I'd arrived in Chicago. She'd know that our thing was over right?

I inhaled my cigarette a little deeper.

I wondered what Emmett thought about busting me out of the slammer. He was probably disgusted with me. Emmett was always the golden boy. Football star, loving boyfriend, and now loving husband I supposed. When I last spoke to him I heard that Rose was pregnant. That'd been about a year ago.

Wow. I probably had a niece or nephew by now. He…or she would be like two or three months old. Hm.

I decided that I needed to call Emmett and thank him for bailing me out even though it practically killed me to do it. The last thing I wanted was an earful from my sibling that apparently never did anything wrong. He was exactly what mom and dad wanted. He worked on the family farm, was married, and he now had a kid.

Like I said, he's a golden boy.

By the time my cigarette was finished I'd arrived at the apartment building where I lived. As usual I rolled my eyes at how ghetto it was. Everywhere you looked there was something shady happening. My grandfather would roll over in his grave if he knew that I lived in a place like this.

I went up the stairs and turned the knob to find it unlocked. I went inside and found my roommate Alice sitting on the couch watching Maury. Her short black hair was pulled into a small pony tail and held up by small bobby pins. She wore a spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of small boxer shorts that told me she hadn't been awake long.

"What did I tell you about leavin' the door unlocked Alice? Someone could just walk in here and hurt you." I scolded her. We'd had the same conversation so many damned times.

"Edward, hey. How was jail?" She asked nonchalantly.

"How did you know where I was?"

Her blue eyes met mine and she whispered, "Victoria told me."

Of course Victoria had told her. She'd been hanging off my dick all of the night before at the bar. I'd left the bar as drunk as I was because she wouldn't leave me the hell alone. Unsurprisingly she'd followed me and I'd run into a twenty-four hour mart to escape her. I guess I was a little loud and obnoxious and the police were called. I couldn't remember the details of course.

"That bitch is psycho." I spat.

"Yeah well you're the one who screwed her. Women get attached easily."

I shook my head. "Well that's the least of my problems. My brother bailed me out. I don't even know how he knew I was there. I haven't talked to him in a long ass time."

Alice's face paled and she looked back at the T.V.

"That's my fault." She muttered.

My eyebrows rose.

"You wanna elaborate on that?" I asked.

Her color returned until a blush formed onto her cheeks.

"I called him. I wasn't sure what to do; I mean that's like your third time in jail this month."

"Hold up. Why would you call him Alice? You don't even know him. I mean how the hell did you even get his number?" I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. She didn't understand the ramifications of her actions.

"He calls me to check on you sometimes." Alice said quietly as she wringed her hands together.

"What the…what the fuck Alice?" I growled. "So basically you're spying on me for him?"

"No!" She yelled. "I swear Edward it's not like that. You left your phone here once about seven months ago and he called. I remembered you said your brother's name was Emmett, and when I saw it on your caller ID I was worried that something had happened! I talked to him for a few minutes and he asked me to please watch out for you and to call him if you were ever in trouble! I swear I was just trying to help!" She began sniffling and tears fell from her eyes. I let out a breath and scratched my chin.

"It's fine Alice. I appreciate you looking out for me, okay? Just uh, please don't help like that in the future. I don't need that kind of information going out to my family."

She wiped her eyes and nodded. I patted her on the shoulder as I walked past her towards my room.

My hands shook as I pulled my phone from my hoodie pocket and searched through my contacts until the name 'Emmett' appeared. I took a cigarette out of my pocket and lit it with a lighter on my bedside table. After the first drag I pressed the call button and listened as the line rang. Once, twice, three times. Finally on the fourth ring someone picked up.

"Yellow?" The voice said.

"Hi Emmett." I said.

"Oh, Edward. Hey."

"Yeah."

"Need something?" It irritated me that he seemed to want to get off of the phone as soon as possible. Not that I didn't want to do the same. It just bothered me that he didn't want to talk to_ me_.

"I just wanted to uh…I wanted to thank you for busting me out of jail this morning. I'll pay you back someday." I said.

Emmett sighed loudly and I heard the sound of shuffling in the background.

"Look Edward," His voice was noticeably quieter. "I didn't do it to help you out. I did it for mom and dad. They want you to come home."

I scoffed. "I'm not fucking coming home Emmett."

Emmett was quiet for a few moments. I took the opportunity to say a few more words.

"I left for a reason man. Things have been so much better out here. You're just too small-minded to even grasp that fact because you never left that little hick town. There are bigger and better things in life than high school football and plowing fields."

"You know what Edward? Fuck you! You're the small-minded one. You never gave this town a chance! You looked for the bad to give yourself a reason to escape. You were always too badass for this town in your mind! Driving around in Dad's Nova with rap blasting as loud as possible, tattoos, baggy ass pants, thinking you're the best damn thing that the town ever did see!"

My blood was boiling. That asshole had no idea what he was talking about.

"Like I said Em, you've never left that hick town. You don't even know what you're missing."

He laughed humorlessly. "You don't know what _you're_ missing Edward. Someday you're gonna wish you were here when you can't be. You're gonna wish you were here fishin' with me or sittin' on the tailgate of my truck just listening to the sound of the cicadas and watchin' the sunset. Someday you're gonna be sad that you missed out on a girl like Bella Swan. Remember when we used to go muddin' after it had rained a lot? Afterwards we'd drink a few and hang out with everyone down by the lake. It was so much fun! Dammit Edward, why'd you have to leave like you did? Why did you change so damn much?"

"I'm not coming home." I said dully.

"Alright man. I won't be bailing you out again though, you understand?" Emmett said sounding sad.

"Yep. No problem." I said sounding detached. This phone call was exactly why I never called home.

I heard a small cry in the background followed by the sound of Emmett's name being called.

"I gotta go. It was good talking to you Edward." He said.

"Yeah." I said. The cry sounded again in the background and I felt myself wondering about it. "Wait, Emmett?" I said before he could hang up.

"Yeah?"

"Did you have a boy or girl?"

"Boy. His name is Jared."

My heart squeezed which confused the hell out of me.

"Uh congrats."

"Thanks. Bye Edward."

He hung up and I pulled the phone away from my face. I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into the cheap pillow. My head hurt badly, not just from my hangover, but from literally forcing myself to have a conversation with my older brother.

"Fuck." I groaned. Emmett's words rushed through my brain. I would never wish for any of those things he listed. I did not miss small town bullshit like fishing and Bella Swan.

There was a knock on my door and then Alice poked her head in.

"You okay?" She asked while looking guilty.

"I'm fine." I lied.

"James texted me while you were on the phone. He said there's a party tonight at his place. Wanna go?"

"Why do you date that jackass? He treats you like shit." I asked.

She ignored me and continued. "So do you want to go? It seems like you need to get your mind off of things."

I nodded.

"Yeah, okay. I'll go."

oOoOo+HB+oOoOo

Several hours later I found myself walking to a party with a scantily dressed Alice. Her skirt barely covered her ass and I had the urge to remove my hoodie and wrap it around her waist. The girl was like a sister to me and she brought out my protective side.

We arrived at another set of crappy ass apartments where James lived. His place was on the bottom corner of the building. The music was loud and bumping, setting the perfect mood for a party. As soon as we walked in I could smell sweat, weed, cigarettes, and alcohol. I welcomed all of those smells as they meant I would be forgetting everything, the phone call today, a shitty night in jail, and my own name.

James sauntered up to Alice and looked her over once. "Damn somebody's getting their ass pounded later." He laughed to himself.

Alice's cheeks were rosy and I hated that she looked pleased with his reaction. The girl did everything she did because either James liked it that way, or would like it. It was one of those times when I wished my friend Jasper would have come with me. He and Alice would have been perfect together.

Jasper, I hadn't thought about him in a good long while.

I didn't want to think about anything anymore except how to lift a bottle to my mouth, and how to light up my smokes.

I guzzled beer after beer, smoked a little weed, and eventually my memories of the day faded away until it was just a complete blur. I felt Victoria dancing against me to the beat of the music. I knew I was supposed to care but in my state I just accepted it and part of me hoped to get laid. Someone handed out shots and I downed them quickly as if I was a thirsty man receiving water for the first time in days.

The hours seemed to go on and the party got wilder. Around midnight people started yelling out and I assumed a fight had broken out. My mind was sluggish from lack of sleep, alcohol and weed. It wasn't until someone closer to where I was shouted out about the cops being there that I reacted.

"Fuck." I slurred. I realized I was inside of a bedroom and on the wall opposite of the door was a window. It took a second but I was able to get it open enough to where my body could fit through.

I smiled to myself proudly thinking I had escaped unlike several other partygoers. A few seconds later I was slammed against the apartment building, a pair of hands twisted my arms together.

"Search him Reeves." The first voice said.

A pair of hands patted my whole body while I was too drunk to react. I thought I was being mugged.

"I don't haaave any money." I slurred.

The voice belonging to the other person chuckled. "That's probably because you spent all of your money buying this."

A baggy was shoved into my face. It was a bag of weed.

I tried to tell them that it wasn't mine but they didn't buy it. It really wasn't mine though. Sure I'd smoked some weed that night, but the baggy didn't belong to me. "Victoria." I spat.

A pair of handcuffs were placed onto my wrists and I was led to a police car in the front.

"Edward!" A familiar voice called out to me. Even in my drunken stupor I realized that it was Alice.

"No, no, no!" She cried. "Not again!"

I knew that I should tell her something. Instantly a feeling of sobriety took over. I was worried about Alice.

"Don't forget to always lock the door Alice!" I yelled.

She watched as I was read my rights and then shoved into the car. Her face held worry, sadness, and disappointment.

One week later I was sentenced to six months in prison.

My first night in my new home, a tiny jail cell, I found myself feeling numb. I didn't want to feel the regret that I knew would come.

A week into being in prison I started thinking about my life. Emmett's words about how I would someday wish that I was at home fishing with him haunted me. I closed my eyes and my face fell into my hands as the mental pictures of home flashed through my mind. I remembered times in high school where I would cruise around with my best friends, and we'd all drink down by the lake.

I remembered my first date with Bella Swan. She was always so damned uptight. I'd gotten her to drink her first beer, to drive her old truck through mud puddles out in the country, and sing out loud to classic country songs. I smiled to myself as a picture of her laughing floated through my mind.

I wondered if she'd loosened up at all. Was she living somewhere else now? Was she married? Did she have kids?

I blew out a breath as I realize that it saddened me. Emmett was right.

Every time I ate a disgusting prison meal I remembered my mom's cooking and how delicious it was. Did she still cook meatloaf and mashed potatoes every other Sunday?

There was a pond just in the distance of the fences outside. When I was outside I would sit on a picnic table and stare at it as I thought about fishing and wading my feet on hot summer days as a kid.

Something inside of me was resolving itself. I was so sick of jail, of living in shitty conditions, and eating shitty food constantly. My life wasn't where I wanted it to be when I left that little town two years before. Determination built inside of me and decisions were made.

Six months came and went. When I was released I took public transportation to the apartment that Alice and I had shared. I wondered if anything had changed.

I knocked at the door when I arrived and was pleased to find it locked.

The door opened a minute later revealing a smiling Alice. She threw her arms around me and hugged me as tight as she possibly could.

Neither of us said anything as she led me inside. Everything looked the same as it had when I'd last been here. It was the same only cleaner.

"I have something for you." She whispered.

"What is it?" I asked. Alice held up her index finger and left the room. She returned a second later with a white envelope. She handed it to me and looked at her questioningly.

"Open it!"

I tore open the white paper and put my hand inside. I pulled out a slightly thicker piece of paper that was long and rectangular in shape. My eyes scanned over it until it registered that the paper was a ticket, a bus ticket to my hometown. My stomach lurched and I felt myself begin to shake a little.

"Where did you get this?"

"Your brother sent it a couple of weeks after you went to jail."

"Shit." I stared at the ticket as my mind raced. "What do I do with it?"

"Use it." Alice smiled.

I started to shake my head but couldn't fully say no. A large part of me wanted to say yes and use the ticket. Another part of me, the part of me leftover from two years before said hell no to the ticket.

"If I go back Alice, it means I'm saying that I was wrong. I miss my family but I don't think I was entirely wrong. I don't want to be stuck in that town for the rest of my life."

She grabbed my free hand and squeezed gently. "You don't have to go back forever Edward, but you do need to see your family."

My heart was racing as I looked at the ticket again. "Okay, I'll use it." I said quietly.

"Good! You better start packing, there's a bus leaving in an hour."

"Fuck." I breathed. I hadn't expected to leave so fast.

I packed everything I could fit into my black suitcase and then rushed out to meet Alice in the living area.

"Ready to go?" She asked as she put on a pair of hot pink Ray- Ban knockoff sunglasses.

"Let's go."

My bag was loaded underneath the bus and everyone else had already boarded. I stood at the front of the bus and hugged Alice goodbye. It was hard to let go of someone that felt lie family.

"What are you going to do? Can you afford that place by yourself?"

Alice smiled softly. "I'm asking James to move in with me."

My mouth dropped open minutely.

"Alice…" I warned.

She held up her hand. "Edward, I love him. I swear that he won't touch your stuff."

I just nodded because nothing I said would change her mind. Alice couldn't see James clearly.

"You better get going." She said sadly.

"Don't forget to-"

"I know, I know. Don't forget to lock the door." She smiled. I gave her another hug and walked to the side of the bus. The doors opened for me and I gazed at the steps in front of me.

This was me swallowing my pride. It hurt. I felt lighter. I felt confused. I felt sad. I felt happy.

One step, two steps, three steps, and the fourth step landed me onto the bus. I took an open seat towards the middle of the bus. A few moments later the bus began to move forward and it slowly left the bus station.

I wasn't sure whether I was going towards my past, away from my past, towards my future. All I knew was that I was going home.

Home.

**A/N: If you'd like to, leave me a review and give me your thoughts. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here is chapter 2 of my songfic. I sincerely hope that you will all enjoy it! For this chapter, I chose the song 'Home' by Daughtry. If you'd like, look it up on YouTube and have a listen. Remember, this is currently unbeta'd. I'm hoping to find someone to do the job in the near future. Anyway, that's enough for now. I hope you like it!**

Chapter 2: Home

I inhaled a breath. I exhaled a breath. The bus had just passed a sign that read Forks as sixty miles away. I had roughly an hour to get my thoughts together. My head rested on the rough fabric of the seat that I sat on, and I closed my eyes.

Would my mom be happy to see me? Would she be angry at me and send me away? And my dad, I was afraid to even think of his reaction to seeing me. The way I'd left town was…well it was wrong. A part of me laughed at how I'd left. It all started with a fight with mom and dad over the weed. They'd acted like I was some sort of drug addict or something. The truth was that it had been the first time I'd ever done it. My dad brought up every single one of my wrongdoings in the past and I just snapped.

There had been no plan to leave my family the way I did. I was nineteen years old and had planned to go to school out of town when the farm could spare me. The urge to leave was so damn bad though. It felt like I was constantly looking up schools and cities. I was applying to different places every chance that I had. Every day I was swallowing my dreams down just to make my family happy. That's why I snapped. That's why I left so abruptly.

After dad spouted all of his bullshit about how I was always getting myself into trouble and how I was a failure in his eyes, I took off. As fast as my hands and my brain could move I threw as much shit in my bag that would fit. Dad's restored Nova was sitting in the driveway. He would usually let me drive it if I needed it. They'd bought Emmett his own truck and by the time I was old enough to drive they'd said that I could just borrow the car.

I ran out to the car, threw my bag into the passenger seat and turned on the car, revving the engine all the while. I put the car into reverse and then hit the lawn, did a donut… okay two donuts. Then I peeled out onto the road. At the time my exit had seemed grand and held a lot of meaning. Now it seemed stupid and a little embarrassing. The Nova was only driven to the bus station since I didn't want to be labeled a car thief among other things. I'd simply left the keys under the seat and hopped on a bus that was headed for Chicago.

Another sign passed indicating that we were only thirty miles from Forks. My stomach began to churn slightly. My thoughts focused somewhere in the past again and I was taken back in time. Bella Swan. She was always so damn quiet. It had surprised me when she'd asked me out while I paid for my groceries in her line at the local Piggly Wiggly.

Her eyes were so honest and warm that I couldn't say no. She was pretty with her pouty lips and faint pink blush. I picked her up at her house in the Nova. She wore faded blue jeans and a light pink blouse that brought out her creamy white skin. Bella had assumed that we would see a movie but I laughed and said _"Hell no! When you go out with a Cullen you don't just go and see a movie_." She'd looked over at me nervously while I drove out to the country by the lake. We listened to music and then talked about life. I pulled out a couple of beers from a cooler in my backseat and handed her one to gauge her reaction. Bella had hesitated for a moment, staring at the can while she seemed to be in deep thought. Then suddenly, she popped the top on the can and took a shy swig. I grinned to myself, pleased for some reason.

Later that evening, we went back to her house and retrieved her old rusted red truck. I'd somehow convinced her to take it mudding. We'd had a blast, laughing as we drove through the mud. She'd kept chanting that her dad was going to kill her but would laugh even harder each time.

"_We'll be arriving in Forks, Illinois here shortly folks. Please stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop."_ The bus driver's voice interrupted my thoughts that had been so deep in the past.

I opened my eyes and watched the familiar scenery pass by. Nothing had noticeably changed. Newton's Outfitters had repainted the outside of their shop but that was about it. I snorted, somehow finding amusement in the town's failure to have expanded. It was a dead-end. Everyone that lived here did the same things every damned day. I bookmarked all of that information in my brain, knowing that I'd need it for future fights with Emmett. I chuckled when I thought of what he would say as his comeback. _"That's not true Edward! The diner now carries five different pies to choose from. So there!" _

The bus turned into the terminal and came to a slow stop. As I stepped off the bus I inhaled the familiar smell of Forks, cow manure and corn.

"Welcome home Edward." I mumbled to myself.

After retrieving my bag and taking a quick piss inside the bus station, I walked out to the front and looked around me. There was nothing of interest to see so I traveled a couple of blocks until I was on Main Street. Everywhere I looked there was a familiar face. People that I'd known all of my life look curiously at me. I'd literally been walking down Main for two seconds and people were already gossiping about me.

"Shit." I swore to myself. I missed the anonymity of Chicago. There I could go mostly anywhere without being recognized. As quickly as I could, I pulled out a Cubs ball cap out of the front pocket of my bag. I slipped it on in hopes that it would mask my easily recognizable bronze hair.

I tried to walk casually down the sidewalk, passing the shops and looking at them in interest as if I was just a person passing through. Living in Chicago had taught me how to look inconspicuous in situations like this.

As I began to pass Jim's Hardware store, a large form exited beside me. His shoulder brushed mine and he muttered a brief "'Scuse me." The man looked back and me once, and then did a double take. _Emmett._

"Shit." I muttered again. I really hated Forks.

"Edward?" He asked while dipping down to see underneath the cap. Once he saw my face his jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Hey Emmett." I said dully.

His mouth gaped as he continued to stare at me for a few more seconds. Then he launched himself at me and gave me a suffocating hug.

"Oh my god I can't believe you used the ticket! It's good to see you brother!" His large hand slapped my back and I flinched, feeling the breath leave my body for a second.

"Yep." It was all that I could muster. I didn't want to show any emotion. I didn't want my family to know that I'd missed them. I'd done a lot of messing up but I still had my pride.

"Well c'mon now! I'm parked just up the way! I'll give you a lift home." He motioned for me to follow him and I slowly trailed behind him. I noticed that he'd filled out quite a bit since I'd left. Emmett had always been a big boy, muscular and strong, but now he was gigantic. It must have been from all of the farming, heavy lifting and Rose's cooking.

Emmett led me to a large, dusty, hunter green truck. The wheels were huge and coated in a thick layer of mud. I could see that it was practically brand new, and underneath the dust it would be really nice.

"New truck?" I asked.

My brother nodded and smiled. "Yep, just bought her a couple of months ago."

I mumbled, "Must be nice." I threw my bag inside the cab of the truck and sat on the tan interior seats.

"I worked hard for it." He winked. My eyes rolled immediately as I realized it was only the first jab of many to come.

"Yep, workin' on daddy's farm must be real hard work Em." I said sarcastically. He looked over at me and then back to the road.

"Daddy don't own it anymore. I bought it six months ago."

"What?" I was shocked. My dad loved that farm and it was rare for him to let someone help him run it.

Emmett's mouth tightened into a firm line. I began to wonder just how much I'd missed.

The truck finally pulled onto a dirt road that led to the farm. The windows rolled down and I looked over at Emmett questioningly. He looked back at me and grinned. "You smell that?"

"Dude, seriously?" I shook my head. "Disgusting." I mumbled.

Emmett huffed. "Geez, I didn't rip ass. I meant the fields!" He gestured to the fields of browning corn. My nose inhaled the earthy smell. It was part dirt part sweet. My favorite time of the year used to be closer to fall when the fields were so fragrant and ripe. I quickly tucked that thought away. The point of me being home wasn't to reminisce on the good times. To reminisce meant that I missed the old days, and I didn't.

A few moments later Emmett pulled into the driveway of our childhood home. It looked the same as always with its white siding and wooden swing on the porch. The front door was still bright red, and my mom's summer sunflower wreath adorned its usual place. I took a deep breath as I exited the truck, bag in tow, and began to walk up the old familiar brick pathway to the front door. On the far right I noticed that there was still a missing brick on the edge. Jasper and I had swiped it when we were thirteen so that we could throw it into Miss Denali's front window. She was the biggest bitch ever and I'd been unlucky enough to land her as my algebra teacher.

"Hey, you comin'?" Emmett asked as he walked towards the garage.

I hesitated. Going through the garage seemed too normal. I'd been gone so long that I felt like a stranger.

"Yeah." I answered. We walked into the garage and I saw the Nova, silver and shiny as ever. I grazed the car with my fingertips as I strode past it. A part of me warmed inside at the sight of it.

Emmett stopped and I ran into his back. "Don't even think about it bro."

My eyes seemed to roll automatically. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

He sighed and removed the camouflage hat from his head. His fingers scratched the short blond hair that remained. "You left in a real bad way. Mama was so damn upset, and daddy barely said a word for weeks."

I looked down at my feet, unable to think clearly.

"Just don't touch the car Edward. You can't come back here expecting things to stay the same."

Anger bubbled into my chest. Change is exactly the reason I left. I didn't want things to stay the same. Then again, I didn't really want the awkward shit that would inevitably be happening with my return. We walked inside the door and entered the old familiar country kitchen. My mother stood at the kitchen sink, washing dishes by hand.

She hummed quietly and her mouth was turned up into a sweet smile as she ran the dishcloth around the soiled plate. Emmett walked over to her and kissed her on the head.

"Hey mama." He said quietly. His voice made me think of the saying "the calm before the storm."

"Hey there son. You here for lunch leftovers? I…" She stopped when her eyes landed on me. The dish that she'd been washing fell from her hands back into the sink, causing soapy water to splash all over the cabinets and countertop. "Edward!" Her facial expression was the definition of shock.

"Hi." I waved stupidly. I wanted to hug her, to give her a kiss on the head and tell her that I'd missed her. That would be giving in though. Her bronze hair was graying and it had grown courser over the time that I'd been gone. She was still pretty with her gentle eyes and heart-shaped face, but she'd aged so much. Her once neatly styled hair was thrown back into a pony tail with strands falling out all over the place. The mama I knew had always looked prim and neat.

Suddenly the shock faded from her face and she smiled at me. Her body moved forward and she threw her arms around me, hugging me tight. All I could do was pat her lightly on the back. I could see that Emmett was watching us as if he was waiting for me to make one wrong move.

Mama pulled away but kept her arms around my waist. She looked so damn happy and it made my chest hurt in a weird way. I wanted to give into the emotions, to be happy to see her. But the words that had been exchanged right before I'd left were fresh in my mind.

"_Why can't you be more like Emmett? He doesn't get into trouble and he works hard for this family. You could learn a lot from your brother!" _

"_Emmett's just so damned perfect isn't he? God you don't even know shit about him. He's just better at hiding that shit!"_

"_You stop that right now young man! This has nothing to do with your brother!" _

"_YOU brought him up!" _

I shook my head before my thoughts could go any farther.

"Edward?" My mama's voice called out.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you were hungry." She looked at me with an eager curiosity. I wanted to push her away and tell her no, that if I was hungry that I'd take care of it by myself. But for once I swallowed my pride and nodded my head indicating that I was indeed in need of something to eat.

Her smile was too big, too happy. She was simply going to feed her son a meal but she looked as if she'd just found the cure for cancer.

"I made stroganoff last night for supper and have some leftovers! Have a seat sweetie and I'll warm you up a bowl."

I only nodded and took a seat at the island. Mama got to work on putting the food together and Emmett leaned up against the space beside my chair.

"I gotta run, but I'll be back later. Don't start any shit. _Please_." He urged. It pissed me off. Why did my family think that all I was capable of doing was causing problems? Emmett walked over to mama and told her goodbye but to call if she needed anything. He gave me a hard stare before walking out the side door.

A few minutes later mama set a bowl of stroganoff and a plate of buttered corn bread in front of me. I'm pretty sure that my stomach cried at the sight. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had homemade food. I remembered the time that Alice had attempted to cook me a homemade "country" meal but she failed terribly. She'd cried when the frozen dumplings had burnt to the bottom of the pot. I ate them anyway and told her they were delicious.

I lifted a spoonful of the stroganoff to my mouth and moaned at the taste. It was burning my tongue but I didn't even care. My stomach growled loudly. The second spoonful was even better.

"You act like you haven't eaten in days Edward." Mama laughed. I just looked at her and then went back to my meal. She didn't need to know that I technically hadn't eaten in days. I avoided eating prison food as much as possible. Her smile faded and she squinted at me.

"Well you sure look different. Especially around your face I can see that you've really started to favor your daddy. That jawline and nose…" Mama trailed off shaking her head. "You're so handsome Edward, but you're too damn skinny."

I smiled at that. She'd always thought I was too skinny, probably because Emmett was so big.

"You sure are quiet. Of course you were never too much of a talker." She was nervous. It blew my mind that my own mama was nervous because she was talking to me.

"I'm tired." I said quietly. And I really was tired, after all I'd only been released from prison that morning and I'd been on a bus for a good part of the day.

"Why don't you lay down for a bit? I'm sure gettin' to sleep won't be too much of a task with a full belly."

"A nap sounds…nice." I said.

"Okay then." She smiled.

I followed her down the hallway to my former room. Either I'd grown taller or she'd gotten shorter because I towered over her. We reached the familiar wooden door that led to my room. It was still covered in rude stickers, the edges peeling up slightly. One read, "Save a Tree, Eat a Beaver."

Mama turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing my room. It looked exactly the way I'd left it. There was even one of my sneakers turned on its side beside the bed. The other one was thrown across the room beside my dresser. I couldn't understand it but a feeling of disappointment was seeping through me. To me it only reiterated the fact that nobody wanted to change, to have something different happen in their lives. I looked around my room and sighed. But at the same time I was glad to have my room back. It was me and I was so comfortable there. My room had always been my escape from things that I couldn't control.

"Are you…are you okay?" I heard mama ask me. She looked sad or scared maybe?

I didn't reply as to whether I was okay or not because I wasn't sure.

"You didn't change anything in here. Everything is exactly the same."

She looked me and shook her head. "Well of course I didn't. Why would I do that? It's you're room!"

Why did I feel almost _angry_ with her? Why did I feel _glad_ that she seemed to be shocked at my statement?

"You've always wanted a sewing room." I said plainly. While I was away, my imagination had always pictured that she'd stripped my room of its tacky posters and damaged furniture, replacing all of it with her craft supplies and sewing machine.

She looked at me from the corner of her eye and whispered, "Well I have one now. I use your dad's old office."

What? Once again I was baffled in regards to my father. He would never let anyone into his office, for anything. Well, mama would go in there sometimes to help with bills, at least that's what Emmett and I pretended they were doing anyway. I wanted to ask her about my dad, to know what had happened to make everything change. Something wasn't right and I had a ton of questions, but at the moment my body only wanted sleep or just something soft to lie down on.

"I'll let you get some rest." She said quietly before turning around and leaving the room.

I watched as she walked down the hall. So many thoughts were running through my mind but the exhaustion was taking over and I didn't want to think anymore. My stare turned to the messily made up bed. I faintly remembered mama sighing exasperatedly before telling me that I was old enough to make up my own bed, and that I shouldn't have to be told to. I'd made up the bed by just throwing everything onto it, not caring how it looked. In all my time away she'd never even touched it. Why was that?

My fingers skimmed the corner of the navy blue comforter before pulling it back and climbing in. My body seemed to sink into the mattress and I could feel myself relaxing. I'd forgotten how comfortable my old bed was. Although after sleeping on a lumpy mattress for two years and a stiff prison mattress for six months, anything would be comfortable.

"Fuck." I muttered. I couldn't think of anything more pleasurable in that moment, even sex. Okay, well sex would have been good too. My mind wandered to Bella again and I pictured her in the bed with me doing anything but sleep. Would we have gotten to that point? If our second date had gone well, we could have done that, right? Or maybe she wasn't like that. I'd always thought Bella was a shy, well behaved girl, and her dad was the chief. That's why I'd been so surprised when she'd asked _me _out. I didn't exactly have a perfect reputation.

My eyes closed and I pictured Bella's pretty smile again. It comforted me and I'd thought about it more than once while in prison. The muscles in my body began to relax and I sighed in contentment. Being in my old room was….restful. Just seconds later I was fast asleep.

I opened my eyes in what seemed minutes later. I couldn't see anything as it was pitch black and I sat up quickly, gasping for air. "Oh God…" I whispered as my heart seemed to beat out of my chest. Had it been a dream? Was I still in prison? My hands frantically felt around my body, grasping anything to prove that it hadn't been a dream. The smoothness of the sheets, the warmth around my body, the comfortable mattress, all of it calmed me down. They were the comforts of home where my mama used fabric softener and the good smelling detergent, not the cheap stuff. I felt a little farther around me and came into contact with a wooden side table and then a lamp that sat upon it. My hand traveled up the base of the lamp until it touched the on and off knob. It twisted and then clicked, and then the light flickered on.

The room was dimly lit but I could see that it was indeed my room. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal and I sat staring until my brain and body came out of its disorientation from sleep. It had been a very deep sleep and I wondered if it had been so deep because for once I'd let myself relax. I didn't have to worry about my safety or Alice's, or whether I would have to steal something the next day. I knew that there were things to worry about here, but I wasn't unsafe. There was no danger.

The house was seemingly quiet except for a creak here and there. I wondered what time it was. Was everyone asleep? I remembered that my cell phone was in the pocket of my jeans, and leaned back to pull it out. It was dead.

"Shit." I whispered. Eventually I rolled out of the bed and straightened my clothes. As I left the room I could hear voices speaking quietly in the kitchen.

As I came closer to the room I could hear two people talking. One voice sounded like mama's, the other voice was deeper, a male's voice. I entered the kitchen and saw Emmett sitting at the island, mama was leaning against the counter, and dad sat at the kitchen table. Dad had his head cradled in his hands. He looked worn and tired, and I noticed that his hair was no longer blond, it was completely silvered.

I took another step forward and the floor creaked underneath me. Suddenly dad's eyes were upon me and we stared at each other for what seemed minutes. He mouth opened and closed several times before whispering, "Edward." Mama and Emmett looked at dad then over to where I stood. A grin appeared on mama's face and she walked over to her aging husband.

"Yes! It's Edward, he's home. Isn't that wonderful?" She asked.

Dad opened and closed his mouth again and swallowed thickly while still staring at me.

"You okay dad?" Emmett asked, looking extremely concerned.

"I'm fine." Dad said quietly and ripped his eyes from me over to Emmett. "When did you arrive, son?"

I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted by my brother.

"Didn't you hear us talking about it? We were just talking about how I picked him up in town this morning? Did you zone out again?"

What? It seemed that I'd missed more than I thought I had.

I saw dad begin to frown slightly. "I'm just tired." His chair moved backwards and he stood up slowly. He was thin, much thinner than he used to be. Something like fear built in my chest. I knew something was not right with my dad. But what it was I couldn't guess.

Dad walked over to me slowly at first like I was a wounded animal. When he stood directly in front of me, his face searched mine. What was he looking for?

Then he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me.

"Welcome home, son."

That's it? I came back expecting to be rejected. I expected them to yell at me, to point out all of my wrongdoings. But instead I welcomed back with open arms. Was I being lured into a false sense of security? Maybe they were just glad that I was alive. The anger and rejection would happen later, right?

Right.

At some point my dad realized that I wasn't hugging him back, and he pulled away. Emmett sighed in obvious annoyance. Mama tried to lighten the awkwardness that hung over the room.

"Who wants pie? It's chocolate!"

**A/N: How was it? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, my username is LauraHilary. Thanks for reading!**


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